Freedom
by Sensuous Butterfly
Summary: It was the one thing neither of them were ever willing to give up.
1. Epilogue

a/n: This is my first upload under this account… cool. Well anyways, this is obviously gonna be a Sonic/Rouge fanfic with some mild Shadow/Amy in it (because I hate breaking characters hearts.) I've never written a story with these two ships, so this is new territory for me. The rating will be a 'T' for some suggestive parts and maybe some mild language too. Oh, and lots of drama. And romance. Lots and lots of romance.

This fic is going to be multi-chaptered, but depending or not on how many people actually like it will decide whether I continue on with it or not. So please if you can, leave feedback for me to look over and to let me know how I'm doing. Thanks! :)

* * *

**Prologue**

The day Eggman fell. That day seemed so far away, so distant from everyone. It almost felt like a strange dream, like it never really happened, yet it was all still there in the back of their minds. That day had been the end of the reign of terror Eggman had once inflicted across the world with an iron fist. It was the end of the line for one hero, as well.

That day was exactly three years ago.

Ever since Sonic defeated Eggman once and for all, that's when Amy made her move. When he was at rock bottom, she had decided that she would finally take what she had always wanted…

Him.

He sat—alone—in his home, flippantly browsing through the channels on his TV, acting as if he was trying to find something to watch. Instead, he was trying to quell the aching deep within his core that adventure and excitement had once soothed. The only action he got was retrieving someone's cat from a tree or assisting someone across a busy street, just regular things the local police could always handle. They didn't tell him anything, but he knew they were irritated with him for taking things to do from them.

The infamous speedster was at an all time low, and was on the verge of almost labeling himself as being desperate. Almost.

Amongst the haze of it all, she managed to find him. That day he was finally going to crack, she came over and all but invited herself in. It was strange though since she was nerve-wrenckingly quiet, hesitantly sitting herself down on the other side of the couch and not once ever really looking him in the eye. His heart beat firmly with anxiety, his palms sweating with dreadful anticipation.

He didn't like this silence between them.

The noise from the TV did nothing but make him all the more nervous, so he decided that he would try and start up a little small talk between him and his number one admirer. Maybe that would lighten the choking hold that the atmosphere had on him right now.

"Hey, so uh-"

And that's when it happened. She chose that moment to strike, throwing herself upon him as if she were in a raging sea and he was the only thing that could save her, as if he was her only hope of surviving the oncoming disaster.

Surprised wouldn't even cover half of what the blue hedgehog felt as he was ravished by impatient hands and hungry lips, letting the girl finally sink her teeth into his exposed belly, but for what reason why he let her do so was beyond him. Usually if he knew she would try anything with him, he would either run or simply push her away, but this time he found he didn't have the strength to pry the starving girl off himself, so he laid there as she claimed what she thought was rightfully hers.

That's when it started.

After that day she would come over every single day and all but demand him to take her out somewhere. He complied, of course, with no struggle. She would tell him where she wanted to go, and then she would talk endlessly to him while she firmly gripped his hand and giggle at every single word he said.

It was moments like these where he wished that Eggman was still alive.

When it was his 19th birthday, she was practically glued onto his arm the whole time, telling all of his friends for him of how happy they were—how happy she was—that they finally were together. They were congratulating the couple and telling their long time friend happy birthday. He wasn't really paying attention to anyone as he was too lost within his own mind to say anything other than 'thanks'.

"So, if you're not a little kid anymore then why're you hanging out with your mommy?" A deep voice chuckled, trying to rustle up the two hedgehogs.

Amy glared at the not too nice comment, but someone else decided to butt-in before things could get nasty, "So I see things are going pretty well for you, eh Sonic?" The birthday guy looked at his long time friend, Knuckles, and quietly snorted.

"Yeah…" But then he realized something: he wasn't the only guy here with a dame draped across his arm. "Looks like things are going pretty good for you too." He concluded with a flashy grin, the first time in a while he had done so out of his free will.

"Knock it off, Sonic!" The blushing echidna almost whined as the blue hero couldn't help but snicker at his shyness. The young woman Knuckles was with was fully aware of the guardian's sheepish behavior, and pecked his burning cheek in response. The baffled look that he shot at her was enough to make her throw her head back and laugh haughtily.

"Why don't you make yourself useful and get me something to drink, hon?" Rouge smirked playfully as she giggled tauntingly as Knuckles mumbled something under his breath, making his way to the punch bowl.

"Oh Sonic, I'll get you a drink too!" Amy piped up cheerfully as she stood up abruptly from Sonic's lap and ran over to join Knuckles.

Rouge was about to sit in the only other lawn chair that was under the lone oak tree, but she halted her movement as Sonic sighed deeply and all but kicked the chair out of the way to make room to sit up against the rough bark. She saw the look on his face, and she instantly felt something for him, but she couldn't quite place her finger on it.

He folded his hands over his stomach and closed his eyes, trying to find the oasis in the desert that was his mind. She pushed the other chair off to the side and sat next to him, stretching her limbs before she neatly crossed her legs and moved her wings to her sides as she carefully reclined against the base of the oak. She too closed her eyes and relished the breeze of fresh air that began drowning her lungs.

"I saw the look on your face."

Sonic lazily opened up one eye to glance over at her, only to find the bat with her nose pointed towards the sky. There was a ghost of a smile on her lips, and for the first time he saw her unguarded, opening herself up to him like never before. "What?" At his voice, she slowly opened her eyes and gazed lovingly at the blue vastness above. Something stirred inside of him at the emotion portrayed across her face.

"You know, the longing of something that you once had. I'm familiar with it." She stated quietly as her wings unconsciously fluttered open, desperately wanting to be used by their master. His interest piqued, he opened his other eye and also trained his eyes skyward, waiting for her to continue.

"Ever since the doctor's death, GUN has been keeping me at bay. I haven't gotten a real assignment in years," She confided as she began to stroke one of her wings. "I went to Knuckles not too long afterward since he always was pretty fun to rile up. I thought he would pick my life up once more, but it turns out that wasn't the case."

Now she had his full attention. His eyes focused solely on her porcelain features as she lay herself out for him—and only him—to see. Her eyes danced to an untold melody, the not so foreign music lighting up her irises softly, filling the emptiness which so commonly now resided within them. He saw how tired she looked, how tired she was of waiting for some sort of release, just like he was. They both wanted to break free of the rusting chains holding them down, but they needed some help first.

"He's been keeping me on a tight leash. The only thing he ever wants to do is be on that dreaded floating island, but that's no place to stretch my wings out, now is it?" She glanced over at him, and her heart skipped a beat when she saw how intensely he was staring at her.

She rose to her feet when she saw Knuckles and Amy returning, holding small plastic cups as they chatted lightly amongst themselves, undoubtedly talking about them. Sonic tried getting a look at her face, but she never looked back at him.

"You miss the forgotten freedom."

That's when something shot down his spine, making him stand up as well. He was at a loss of words—he almost forgot what breathing was—as she uttered those words ever so quietly before forcing herself to smile as Knuckles approached with Amy in tow.

Those words held him in place and got his mind racing faster than the speed of light. Those words meant _everything_ to him.

* * *

a/n2: Hmm, well I had actually typed most of this up on my iPhone since my laptop isn't currently functioning, and I'm posting this from my mom's laptop. I thought this would've been longer... Oh well. Chapter one should be up within a day or two. Hope you enjoyed the prologue!


	2. Beginnings

a/n: I just remembered something that I meant to put in the author's notes on the prologue; some of the characters might seem a little OOC, but things are supposed to have been rough for them over the years. To fully understand how they feel you to need to keep reading the story. Trust me, things will start to speed up soon ;)

Also, constructive criticism is always welcomed and valued greatly. Praise is pretty neat too. And flames are laughable.

Hope you enjoy, you wonderful person you.

**EDIT: I saw one too many mistakes for my liking, so I corrected the ones I spotted. I think I might need a BETA reader...**

* * *

Chapter 1: Beginnings

He had to find her. He had to talk with her about what she said that day at his party. He wanted some closure, some reassurance that he wasn't the only one who felt this way. She felt it too, so she could help him! He was sure that she could, because she seemed just as desperate as him to get out of this mess. Why else would she have told him all that if she didn't feel the same way? There was nothing for her to gain out of him. He was a little skeptical of her intentions that day, but that made him all the more determined to find out her motive…

Tonight he told Amy he was going out for a run, and she let him go with no questions to spare, so he decided now was the best time to find her. He just had to see her and ask her what hidden meaning her words had. She had crawled under his skin into the very fiber of his being and had floated around ever since, scratching at the surface. It was driving him _crazy_.

His feet carried him across the streets of Night Babylon, where he knew she lived. His heart pounded against his chest, like a small bird fluttering across its cage in excitement. A thousand questions bombarded him. What if she's not home? What if Amy finds out? What if Shadow or Knuckles are over there, what would they think? …what if she shuts the door in his face and starts laughing at him, or does something even worse?

The sun was starting to set, the sky a palette of oranges and purples as stars began to make their nightly appearance, but he didn't care. Amy wouldn't expect him to be back for another hour or two. This was the escape he was looking for, the crack in the glass he could work from. This was it.

The city's lights began to bring life to the night sky that not even the sun could top, and nearly blinded the blue blur in the process. The nightlife was definitely here he concluded as he began to see more and more people walking down sidewalks, some of which he had to actively avoid now so he wouldn't run into them. A lot of people began filtering into one building in particular.

In big neon letters, in salmon pink, the same building that drew in the crowds was elegantly labeled 'Club Rouge'. He came to a skidding stop in front of the side door, where he knew led to her living quarters. He inhaled rather loudly and was about to muster up the courage to knock on the door, but to his surprise the door swung open slowly to reveal the land lord of the building, waiting patiently behind it.

He noticed she didn't have her usual catsuit on. She wore a simple magenta blouse along with plain black slacks. Of course, the shirt showed off more than he needed to see. She wore no makeup either, and her hair was in a disarray. No sign of shoes, either. She must've been planning on spending the evening alone.

He had never seen her this way. So… open. So vulnerable. In the far casted light of her club, he thought she looked more stunning than ever before. It was amazing how much beauty this little female was blessed with.

She looked somewhat taken aback when she first saw him—no doubt thinking it was odd that he'd ever turn up at her doorstep—but her smug mask came back into place as she recollected herself.

"Hey Hot Shot, what brings you here at this time of night?" She inquired smoothly as she studied his features. He looked almost exhausted, but his eyes spoke of undeniable relief. He was glad to see her.

"I, uh… Hey."

She chuckled at his lack of words and stepped to the side, silently gesturing for him to come in to join her. "The only company I ever get is from this one gloomy hedgehog I know, but you're certainly welcome too." The amusement in her voice was poorly covered. He nodded his thanks and cautiously made his way inside, looking around her place.

It was nice. The walls were painted a light pastel pink as her carpet was a deep purple. All of her furniture was white, lit dully in her dim lamp light. Her sofa had adorned two pink heart pillows, making Sonic inwardly chuckle, knowing how much his little batty friend loved hearts. Pictures were placed in various places, they either hung from the walls or sat on the flat surfaces of some of her furniture. They were mostly of her; she was either by herself, with Shadow, or with a few colleagues undoubtedly from work. There was only one picture where she was with Knuckles, which made him wonder why there wasn't more with him in it. A few even had all of her old team members; Shadow, herself, and Omega. Team Dark, if he could recall.

"Nobody else is here, you know."

He turned to her then and saw her leaning against the wall of the foyer, grinning at him. She inhaled lightly as she began to saunter towards the sofa, her hips swaying with a majestic feminine swagger that only she could manage. His eyes never left her as she made her way to her leather couch, sitting with enough grace to put any royal bum to shame.

"It looked like you were checking to see if anyone else but me was here," She tilted her head, trying to analyze the hedgehog and his strange actions. He shrugged as she began to laugh gently, patting the spot next to her. He sat next to her, careful to leave enough space between them. "Boy, I wonder why…" A thoughtful finger found its way under her chin, letting her eyes slowly trail towards his own.

His face flushed lightly as he understood perfectly what she was implying, his blush deepening as she began to chuckle, the noise low and husky. "I came over for one reason and one reason only." Her laughter came to a stop at his statement, the first real thing he had said since he came over.

"What're you here for, then?" She asked not too kindly, starting to grow a little impatient with him beating around the bush. He chose to look at a glass vase with white roses that moment as she stared him down with unyielding eyes. He saw the poorly scribbled name on the makeshift tag, and he wanted to laugh at his poor friend's feeble effort. It was kind of cute.

Which lead him to another question: how important was Knuckles to her?

"It's about what you said at my party." He slowly drawled out, studying each petal carefully as if all the answers to his problems lie within them.

"Which part?"

He chose to look at her then, his gaze never wavering, "'What you said before Amy and Knuckles came back with our drinks."

"Ah," She chose to twiddle her thumbs then, looking away as if she were trying to recall the not-so-distant memory. Her chest slightly rose as she took a deep breath, figuring out just how to go about with this.

"Why did you-?" He began, but couldn't exactly finish his sentence, something cutting his tongue off. She waved it off with a flick of her wrist, trying to tell him to stop and to let her go.

"I miss the rush of the wind beneath my wings just as much as you miss the wind flowing through your quills and the thrill accompanied by adventure." He only nodded in agreement as he continued to listen to what she had to say. "And Pinky is only dragging you down, down to a secure confinement so she knows you're all hers and that you can never leave. Sure, she's sweet, but she knows what she wants."

His heart stilled for a moment as he began to wonder how she already knew everything without him once saying anything. What else did she know?

"You're begging for something more, you crave excitement and independence while she wants settlement. No?"

"Somewhere along those lines…"

"You're cornered and have no way out." She said flatly, as if she'd known all along and it was no surprise.

"How do you know all this?" He whispered as he tried to get a read from her profile, only to be shunned away from her wall of indifference.

"Sweetheart, you're like an open book right now, just waiting to be read by someone." She smirked as she turned back towards him, his brow furrowed in confusion. He crossed his arms as if he was trying to shield himself from her, not wanting to let her in any further.

She then turned and folded her legs neatly, her feet tucked under her as her whole body faced toward him. Whether it was intentional or not, her shirt appeared to be stretching over her bosom, giving the male an adequate view.

"It's okay if things aren't going so great with Amy. Believe me, Knuckles is no walk in the park either."

He looked into her eyes with inquiry, wondering where she was getting at. A gloveless, tan hand found its way to his shoulder, and he inwardly recoiled at her touch. Her eyes bore deeply into his, trying to decide if he really was the right choice or not.

She found no flaw with her decision.

"But, you know…" Her slender fingers began to trace circles on his soft fur, and she could feel how tense he was. She inwardly sighed. "That doesn't mean we just roll over and let the world do what it wants with us."

His brow raised in confusion before she could explain herself, "We don't have to live like caged animals anymore, you know that right?" For added effect, she lowered her eyelids and ran her hand down his arm.

"We can have our old lives back…"

She saw now that she had him right where she wanted. He had walked right into her spunned web, and was now at her mercy. She was feeling rather generous today, but not so gracious. Oh, he was a fool.

"How?"

She exhaled quietly and slowly ran her hand back up his arm, gripping his shoulder frailly as she leaned closer…

"H-hey! I didn't mean like that, what are you doing!?" He shouted nervously, pushing her back somewhat roughly. She looked a little surprised—hurt briefly flashed across her face—but that didn't stop her from snickering at him at his petrified look.

"I just wanted to see what you would do, is all." She winked as his face deepened a few shades of red, which heightened her amusement even more. He looked embarrassed enough, so she decided she would get back on track and get down to business.

But before she could, "I would never help my best friend's girlfriend cheat on him." Her eyes narrowed slightly at this, and he continued, "And besides, if Amy ever found out she would have both our heads in the blink of an eye." He involuntarily shuddered.

Rouge shrugged carelessly, and grunted. "I didn't think you would care that much. And what Knuckles doesn't know won't kill him. He's a big boy, I'm pretty sure he can handle it." Her voice was heavy with nonchalance, which sort of knocked the hedgehog off track.

"I don't… really like Amy the way she likes me… but I still would care about hurting her feelings. She's my friend no matter what," he confessed, his honesty brutal. "And don't you care about Knuckles enough that you would spare hurting his feelings like that?"

She scoffed and rolled her eyes. "We've been going out for almost three years, and I honestly can't remember what I used to see in him when… you know, the Doctor was still alive." He raised a brow, finally starting to fit the clues together. "I've actually been meaning to break it off with him for quite some time now."

Sonic was baffled at her proclamation, "Why? You two seemed-"

"'Seemed so happy? So perfect?' I wouldn't really say so. He's the cheesiest guy I've met! He's all bark with no _bite_," Her emphasis on the word bite sent a little shiver down his spine. "The furthest he's ever gone with me is second base, and it's driving me nuts at how inexperienced he-!"

"Okay, I get the picture," He shot out with disgust, the mental image in his head of his best friend and his curvy girlfriend not pleasant, to say the least. "Do you really need… that to be happy?"

She looked at him as if he had grown an extra head, "Are you serious?" Her lips pressed together as she swatted his shoulder lightly, trying to scold him for being so blind. She opened her mouth to retort, but something inside told her that talking about her relationship problems with a hedgehog she wasn't all too close with wasn't a good idea.

"Nevermind him," Those two words cut through the air, letting him no she had no interest with the topic anymore.

"Let's get back to you and me," Her tone was low and sensual, enough to catch any mans attention. She rose from her dream-like sofa and walked to the other side of the room, eyeing a picture of her that had been taken a few years ago, studying it as an artist would his masterpiece. Someone had taken the picture for her, but who did she couldn't remember. She looked absolutely radiant. A snug-fitting black dress with a V-neck cut, an expensive set of gems strung delicately across her neck, and grey and black makeup with blood-red lips made her look like a fallen angel. White contrasted greatly against black. Red made her smile all the more gorgeous. But she remembered how alone she felt.

In the back of her mind, she pictured a familiar blue blur standing there with her… Which was a very peculiar thought. She tried picturing more red, but the blue captivated her like nothing else. It was odd.

His eyes studied her, and for a split second he saw the girl behind the mask. Her shoulders slumped, her ears slightly drooped, but she regained her imposing stature once she turned back around to look at him. The look in her eye was lethal.

"We both have one goal in common."

His ears perked.

Her syrupy smile crept its way onto her face, "I think we should work together for mutual benefit."

Her fangs glinted in the dark as her smile grew when he agreed.

* * *

It was 2:00 AM, and the sun was well under. Stars littered the sky respectively as the moon illuminated everything within its touch, adding an ethereal glow that seemed too pure to be on this planet. Crickets chirped in the distance as a few lone cars ventured down the street. It was peaceful.

That didn't stop the suspicious feeling that she had from rising deep down inside though, nothing could. He had promised that he would be back before midnight, and he was someone who always kept promises.

Right?

She stormed down the street, angrily stomping and huffing with every step she took. Her petite, gloved hands formed into two tight fists, ready to swing away at anything that stood in her way.

Her rage was inevitable now. He was going to get it for sure!

Her intuition told her to go to Rouge's house, and it had never failed her before, which made her anxious. She had a sinking feeling that her precious Sonic was there with that tramp of a bat, for what though she hadn't the slightest clue. This unsettled her the most.

What would he want with that piece of filth? Surely all of his attention was focused on her, and not even that bat could tear his eyes away from her, no matter how much cleavage she managed to show. He didn't even like her all that much!

But then again, she saw the way he was looking at her at his party…

She growled in frustration as she quickened her pace, getting ready to break Rouge's door down once she reached her dump of a house. People cleared the way for the rampaging hedgehog, not even daring to see what would happen if she ran into them.

She cut corners and took shortcuts to make her trip shorter, but little did she know that there were always monsters lurking in the dark. Her ears twitched as they realized there was a second pair of footsteps following her.

Her heart beat loudly in her ears.

Picking up the pace, she hurriedly made a left turn, but was face to face with a dead end. Oh great. She backed herself up against the wall, pressing her back against the cold, unforgiving bricks. She saw a figure, tall and lean, make his way towards her. She whimpered silently, pleading to a god that wasn't listening to her moment that everything would be okay.

Or maybe he was.

Her eyes picked up another figure moving amongst the darkness, this one around her height. He was most definitely a hedgehog, the quills were a dead giveaway. Her heart started racing as she thought it was Sonic coming to rescue her, but the silhouette seemed too threatening to be him, too dangerous.

The smaller figure swung his leg out, knocking down the taller one. He grunted as his face smashed against the pavement, before he got back up and sloppily swung his left fist out, hoping to hit his target. The hedgehog simply swayed to the right before his right fist connected harshly against his foe.

Not wanting to fight over such a small scrap of meat, the taller of the two slithered away while the other remained, not moving an inch. Amy held her breath when she saw that the figure started approaching her, so she tentatively got into a fighting stance, her whole body shaking.

He stopped walking and stood a few feet away from her, waiting for her to calm down.

"Are you alright?"

Her ears perked, her spirit lightened, as she immediately recognized that voice: Shadow. She let out a deep sigh of relief, all the fear crawling out of her system.

"I'm fine… thank you." She quietly stated before she unconsciously fixed her quills and dusted her dress off. She felt awkward around him; she never really had much to say around him, and yet his silence wasn't so bad either. It was comforting in a weird way.

"What are you doing out here?"

"Huh?"

He stepped forward, his eyes scanning her frail form in the darkness, "Why are you out here this late at night?" He crossed his arms as his gaze followed every skittish movement of hers.

"Sonic…"

Her expression darkened as she remembered exactly what she was doing, "Those two are gonna get it!" She growled as she began to storm off once again to head over to Rouge's place.

Slightly amused and very much confused by her answer, he decided to follow her. He immediately recognized the familiar path he always took.

This was all puzzling to him. Sonic and… Rouge? That thought didn't process through his head with enough seriousness, he could never see those two together, that idiot with his closest friend. He always thought she had a thing for Knuckles, and maybe even a little thing for himself too.

Sonic wasn't the kind of guy that would go from saving the world notoriously several times to cheating on his own girlfriend with his friend's girlfriend. That was not Sonic at all. Rouge didn't really strike Shadow as the type to deliberately go behind someone's back either without a good reason, but she always was a sort of mysterious, shadowy figure.

He had more faith in her than that, though. Those thoughts were empty.

The petite hedgehog was fuming by the time she reached his friend's house, but there was no sign of either of them inside. He knew Rouge well enough to know that whenever she left, she would always turn the lights off in her living quarters, and not allow any entry to her club. They were gone.

"Open up, you no good thief! Open up, open up!" She screamed shrilly, ramming the door with her fists and boots, threatening to bust the door down and tear her head off on sight. Shadow calmly walked over to her to see if she would figure out what he knew before Rouge sued her for a ruined door.

It took her a moment to realize that the place seemed dead, that no one was here. Her heart rate lowered substantially as did her anger. She sighed tiredly before her hands fell on her knees, bending her small frame forward, her bangs falling into her face. Her eyes moved to look at the dark hedgehog, as she tried to control her breathing.

"What are you doing here?" She managed through small gasps, her eyes questioning his ever so stoic ones. He turned away, crossing his arms as he moved closer to the entrance of the building.

"I usually come over at this hour." He simply replied as if was the most obvious thing in the world. He turned to look at her and slightly tilted his head, "I should be asking you that question."

"I already told you! Sonic told me during the late evening that he was going out for a run, and he never came back. I," she managed to stand up and stand tall, looking Shadow confidently in the eye. "I had a feeling that he might've been over here instead."

"Why?"

"I… I'm not sure. I just have a feeling that he was here."

She sighed in frustration, "I'll find him…" She murmured to herself, before she began to walk away.

"He'll turn up soon. So will Rouge," Shadow coolly added. She was almost down the curb when he thought he should mention, "Just go home. I'll let you know if she turns up with him or not."

She froze.

Their eyes met once more as they silently said her goodbyes.

She was gone, and he relaxed a little.

Boy, what was that bat up to?

* * *

a/n2: Heavily implied Sonouge and even some hints of Shadamy. Yikes :3

Just what are Sonic and Rouge doing?

Also, I can't really italicize/bold anything from my phone, and I only have a minute or two to upload these docs onto here, so I can only emphasis what I feel what really needs to be.

If you see any errors then please let me know!


End file.
